Mystery Movie Review - Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte

I am reviewing this 1965 psychological thriller as a warm-up for Halloween.  Although this was directed by Robert Aldrich, you might think it was a Hitchcock flick with it's build up to edge-of-your-seat tension.

Rotten Tomatoes: 82% 

• 7 academy award nominations (best supporting actress [Moorehead], B&W cinematography, score, song, art direction, costume design, and editing).
• Adapted from the unpublished short story "What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?" by Henry Farrell 

Movie Blurb:  

An aging, reclusive Southern belle (Bette Davis) is plagued by a horrifying murder of her lover forty years prior when she was young.  The arrival of a relative (Olivia de Havilland as Miriam Deering) plunges Charlotte into madness - or is she being helped along?  And who killed lover John Mayhew all those years ago?

What's It About?:

Rotten Tomatoes: "Forty years ago, on the night they were meant to elope, Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) found her [married] lover decapitated during a party, the blood on her dress leading everyone to suspect she was the murderer. Now, in 1964, Charlotte is an old recluse and must fight to keep her home. She enlists the help of her cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland), who was there at the time of the murder. However, soon after Miriam's arrival, Charlotte's mind becomes unstable, and she starts thinking he is alive."  As for the mystery part, nobody was ever arrested for the murder. Did Charlotte kill him, or her father? Is she going insane now from guilt?  

Starring:

Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland [Melanie from Gone with the Wind], and Joseph Cotton, Mary Astor, with appearances from  Agnes Moorehead (Known for playing Endora in Bewitched), Bruce Dern, and George Kennedy.

My Thoughts:

The murder mystery isn't at the forefront. But the murder becomes the impetus for what happens in the rest of the movie.  Bette Davis, Agnes Moorehead, and Olivia de Havilland gave powerhouse performances. The cinematography, although black and white, was atmospheric, providing an ominous feeling with plenty of gothic touches. Sadly, the special effects aren't very good.  It does show the privilege of wealthy white in the south and the struggles of facing a changing status quo in the sixties.  It also has a haunting theme song that gets stuck in your head:

“Hush hush, sweet Charlotte,

He’ll love you till he dies... 

And every night after he shall die

Yes every night when he’s gone

The wind will sing you this lullaby

Sweet Charlotte was loved by John.”

 It's dated and comes across a little melodramatic for modern audiences, causing some to call it "campy".  I saw it for the first time on television at around twelve years old and I was riveted. I have re-watched it many times over the years and love the build-up of tension.  Bette Davis gave a great performance of a woman with a tragic past fighting to save her world and fearing she is loosing her grip on reality. She made you feel sorry for her in one scene and hate her in the next.  There are red herrings regarding who actually killed philandering John Mayhew, but the murderer from forty years prior is finally and formally identified.

Everybody seems to want to compare this film to "What Happened to Baby Jane", but this was a better written screen play and the acting was better - in my opinion. I can't stand Joan Crawford, but de Havilland was superlative as cousin Miriam.  It isn't perfect, but it is wicked good. Make a tub of popcorn, some root beer floats, and watch this early psychological thriller to get in the Halloween mood.